With their eye on the prize and the big Lombardi trophy the Denver Broncos pull off the upset win of the heavily favored by most critics Carolina Panthers. So what went right? What went wrong? How did the Broncos take being the underdogs and pull off the upset win? I'll look at all of this and more in this week's special Superbowl 50 edition.
So what did go right? Well for the Denver Broncos it was the defense firing on all cylinders and coming out thirsty for a big win. For the Carolina Panthers to be honest the only thing that remotely showed up to this game was their defense and MVP quarterback Cam Newton. The defenses went toe to toe for the first half in a very close game. At the half the Broncos lead 13-7 which for the Carolina Panthers was very much do-able in terms of making a comeback. The big problem was the Panthers had Superbowl MVP Von Miller all over Cam Newton like a swarm of horseflies all over a horse.
What went wrong? For both of the teams was the fact that neither one scored an offensive touchdown til the 4th quarter when the Broncos ALL but shut the door on the Panthers. Turnovers were a big part of this game and I have always said when it comes to any major sports that: DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS! This was definitely the case tonight in Superbowl 50 as the Broncos offense could do no right, however, their defense did no wrong.
How did the Denver Broncos pull off an upset against a team that was favored to win by a very big margin? They did it by prep and not having too much fun when it counted. They did it by showing that you can't be arrogant in this league and win. This was the biggest problem with Cam Newton all season was his arrogance. Sometimes you have to be knocked back down to your senses to realize this and tonight we saw that arrogance absolutely does not win in this league. The Broncos on the other hand did not come out arrogant and instead rallied around their MVP type quarterback Peyton Manning. Leadership on and off the field gave this team the better edge and drive to come to Superbowl 50 for the win.
Do I honestly in my heart of hearts feel Superbowl 50 will be Peyton Manning's last game? To be quite honest with you I really do feel there is a 98% chance that his last game was played tonight on the big stage of Superbowl 50. Why? This is the way any player wants to go out and that is on top. John Elway did it with this same Broncos team several years ago and that was the best decision he could make. I don't see it any other way he will mark my words with 98% certainty retire.
Does Peyton Manning end up in the Hall of Fame someday? This is another no brainer he will with 100 percent certainty wind up in the Hall of Fame. His numbers only speak for themselves. He is already up their with greats as it is: Staubauch, Favre. While his numbers in the postseason suggest he should be a Hall candidate.
So what's next for Peyton Manning once he retires? Lots and lots of Nationwide and Papa John's commercials. Ok, I was being kind of fecicious with that. However, he will probably end up doing some commentary for a sports network and then take his hat to coaching on all levels. So will this be the last we see of Peyton Manning even if he retires? You can bet your bottom dollar it won't be.
In conclusion, I want to tip my hat to both the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos for giving us the fans something to cheer about til the final 2 minutes. Both of these teams deserved to be there and it could have went either way. However, the best team won and this year for Superbowl 50 it was the Denver Broncos and Superbowl MVP Von Miller.